Electric signaling system.



' G. E. LEE.

BLEGTBIG SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 24, 1913. I 1 07 9 Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

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C. E. LEE.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1.913.

Patented Oct. 28, 913.

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cnnnnnsn. LEE, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Assmnon or ONE-HALF TO BENJAMIN c.

- spurious, or cmcaeo, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 191.3.

1"?) all wlumt it may concern Be it known that, I, CHARLEB E. LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Signaling Systhe following is a specifica. tion.

My object is to provide an improved electric signaling system for employment more especially as a calling system, in large factories and mercantile establishments, whereby any one of several oflicers or employees wanted, as at the telephone, may be quickly summoned by a signal sounded simultaneously at a plurality of locations in the establishment.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my improvements in connection with an electric call system of the character defined Figure 1 is a sectional view of a sending device, taken on line 1 in Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a section on the two planes designated by the lines 2 in Fig. 1: Figs. 3 and 4, sections of one of the sending-key mechanisms taken on line 3 in Fig. 2, showing the same in two positions respectively; Fig. 5. a plan view of signal actuating mechanism operated from keys of the said sending-device; Figs. 6 and 7, broken sections taken, respectively, on lines 6 and 7, in Fig. and Fig. 8, a diagrammatic view of the electrical devices and circuits which form the signaling system.

The sending-mechanism, illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, is supported upon a metal frame 9 mounted in a wooden box or casing 10. Mounted in guide openings in the frame 9 and extending through'openings in the front wall of the casing 10 are aplurality of signal-sending keys, or push-buttons, 11 held normally projected by return springs 12. Each push-button 11 has a cam shoulder 13, movable across the cam face 14 of a swingingcatch-frame 15 pivoted at 16 and yielding against the resistance of a spring 17. Extending through the front of the casing is .a catch-releasin push-button 18. In the path of the rear en of each pushbutton 11 is a pair of normally-open sprin contacts 19, 20 mounted at their lower end portions in a supporting block 21 of insulating material carried by the frame 9. Mounted in the frame 9 is a pair of spool-magnets 22. Pivoted to the casing above the magnets 22 is a vertically-swinging 1eveiifiame 28.

carrying an armature-24. The leveraa is"- held normally in the raised position, :E-indig cated in Fig. 4. by a spring 25 (shownin Fig. 1). The lever 23 carries a lockingwedge 26 of insulating material adapted to cuter between the spring-contacts 19, 20 to hold them apart, as shown in Fi 3. On the lever 23 is a spring circuit-brea ing contact 27 insulated from the lever at the end where it is attached thereto and closing normally against a contact 28 on the lever. When the lever 23 descends to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the contact-spring 27 is engaged by an insulated stop 29 in its path and separated from the contact 28.

The signal-actuating mechanism is in a l-asing 30 (see Fig. 5). In the casin 30 is an electric motor 31 having an armat ureshaft 32; and in line with the shaft 32 is a shaft 33 'ournaled in hearings in the casing. Sli ing on the shaft 32 is a clutchmember 34 adapted to engage and release a clutch-member 35 on the shaft 33. Also, in the casing 30 is a spool-magnet 36. The sliding clutch-member 34 moved by a clutch-lever 37 fulcrumed at 38 and carrying an armature 39 adjacent the core of the magnet 36. The shaft 33 carries a plurality.

of contact actuating signaling Wheels, or disks, 40, corresponding in number with the push-buttons 11 of the sending-device, Each of the wheels. or actuators, 40 carries a dis- I tiuctive, arbitrary number of peripheral cam-projections 41 Riding upon the pcriphery of each wheel 40 is the spring-arm member 42 of a make-and-break contact which arm 42 is adapted to engage and release a companion spring-arm contact 43. On the end of each spring-arm 42 is a camshoulder 44 in the path of the projections 41 on the wheel 40, and in the rotation of the said wheel, the projections 41 engage and raise the arm 42 into contact with the arm Also, on the shaft 33 is a disk 45 having at one point in its periphery a socket 46. Riding upon the periphery of the wheel 45 is a spring-arm'contact member 47 adapted to engage and i'elease a companion springarm contact member 48. The sprin -arm 47 is provided at its end witha cam-s oulder 49 which, in ridingon the periphery of the wheel 45, closes contactwith the member r arm 48. When the socket 46 registers with the shoulder 49, the latter enters it,

as shown in Fig. 7, thus breaking contact with the member 48.

. Referring to the diagrammatic View in Fig. 8, the reference numeral 50 designates a battery, or other source of electric current. Extending from one pole of the battery to the spring-contact 27 in the sending-device is a circuit wire 51. Extending from the opposite pole of the battery 50 is a conductor 52 which passes along various points, or stations in the establishment, where preferably audible signals, such as electric bells53, are provided. Extending from the wire 51 to the spring contact arm 48. in the signalactuating device, is a conductor 54. A conducting wire 55 extends from the spring-contact arm 47 to metal contact-plates 56 carried by the locking-wedge, of insulating material, 26 in the sending-device. Conductor wires 57, 57 57 57 and 57 extend from the different contact-springs 19 of the sending-device to the contact-springs 43 of the signal-actuating device. wire 58 extends from each spring-contact member 20 to the windings of the spool-magnets 22 and thence to one binding-post of the motor 31. A wire 59 extends from a. pole of the battery to the other binding-post of the motor 31. Wires 60 60 60 and 60 extend from the spring make-and-break contact-arms 42 of the signal-actuating device to line-wire 61, which parallels the wire 52 and extends with the same to the signals 53. A. shuntwire 62 connected with the wires 58, 59 passes to the winding of the spool-magnet 36. Interposed in a shunt-wire 63,' -extending between the wires 55, 61 is a condenser 64, the purpose of which is to prevent undue sparking at the spring-contacts 42--43.

Each of the signal-actuating wheels 40 has a different number of projections 41 from the others, or projections so positioned with relation to each other that they will cause difi'erent well-defined signals from those produced by the other wheels. The sending-device may be located, for convenience, adjacent to the telephone switchboard of the establishment, so that the telephone operator may call the person :wanted from any part of theestablishment where he may happen to be. In the construction illustratetl, there are four push-buttons 11, each with a companion signal-actuating wheel 40 in the signal-actuating device. push-button 11 is pressed inward to the po sition shown in Fig. 1, it contacts with a spring-arm 19 and produces contact between the respective companion arms 19 and 20. This causes current from the wire 5] to pass through the closed contacts 27, 28 to the frame 9 and push-button, and thence through the spring-arms 19 and 20 to one of the Wires 57, 57 57 57 or 57, and also the wire 58. The current passing through the wire 58 excites the magnets 22, draws down When a the armature "24*ancl lever-frame 23 and causes the wedge 26 to hold the particular spring-arms 19, 20 in contact, as shown in Fig. 1. The 'said spring-arms are also held in contact, as shown, by the push-button 11,

' 33 and wheels 40, the latter close the respective contacts 42, 43 a number of times in each revolution corresponding with the number of pro ections 41 ca rried by the ptllTtltElF lar'wheel; and theparticularrontacts 42.-

43, then in circuit with the battery 50, will send electric. impulses through the wire 61 and bells to sound all the bells a number of times, in the revolution of the wheel 40 which is causing the makes and breaks in the current, corresponding with the projections 41 thereon. The spring-contact arms 47, 48 are interpcsed in the circuit between the battery 50 and all the spring-contact arms 42, 43, and the said contact arms 47, 48 normally open the said circuit. In the initial turning of the shaft 33 and rotation of the wheel 45, however, the contact-arm 47 is raised to close the circuit and hold the same closed during the complete revolution of the wheel 45, when the registering of the socket 46 with the end-portion 49 of the arm 47 causes the same to enter said. socket and break the circuit. In the descent of the lever-frame 23 from normal position, shown in Fig. 4, to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 8, the striking of the spring-arm 27 against the insulated stop 29 breaks the current through the frame 9 and push-button to the contacts 19, 20 and establishes the circuit through the contact plate 56 to the contacts 19, 20. Thus, when the wheel 45 breaks contact between the spring-arms 47, 48, the current tothe motor is cut oil and the latter stops. The magnet 36 atthe same time releases the armature 39 causing the clutch-lever 37 to be swung by a spring 63 (shown in Fig. 5) to release the shaft 33 from the armature-shaft 32. Thus though the motor 31 will not stop instantly that the current is cut oil therefrom, the

- unclutching of theshaft 33 will cause the same to cease rotation the instant that the circuit is broken by the separation of the contacts 47, 48.

When a pushebutton sending-key 11 is pressed inward to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 8 to close the pxarticular springcontacts 19., 20 and cause t c particular circuit making-and-breaking contacts 42, 43, with which they are in circuit, to operate, the lever-frame in its descent causes the wedge 26 to lock the said contacts 19,20, together, as illustrated, and causes the wedge furthermore, to enter between all the other spring-contacts 19, 20 (as shown in Fig. 3), to lock the same apart. Thus, after a key 11 is pushed inward, its release will not interfere with the completion of the signal. During the time that a key 11 is held in its retracted position, the complete si nal will be repeated along the line once wit each revolution of the shaft 33, and the wedge, 26 pro: vents closure of the other contacts 19, 20 with the result that no other key 11 can be operated to send interfering signals along the line. To stop the signaling, the release key or push-button 18 just below the sending-key in operation is pressed inward to swing the catch 15 out of engagement with said sending-key, when the latter will be re turned by the resilience of its spring 12.

It will be understood, from the foregoing des ription of the operation, that inward pressure upon a key 11 causes a distinctive signal to be sounded at all the bells 53 by the rotation of the particular sending wheel which operates the particular circuit making-and-ln'miking contacts 42, 43, to attract the attention of the person for whom the call is meant; and while a sending-key 11 is depressed the shaft 33 carrying the wheels 40, continues to rotate and repeat the signals. \Vhen the sending-key 11 is released by the catch 15, the circuit through the sending-key is broken, and the circuitthrough the wire 55 and closed contact 56 continues to operate the motor until the wheel 45 com- 'pletes a revolution to carry its notch or socket 46 into register with the end' 49 of the spring-contact 47 and said end enters the socket to break the circuit to the motor. The breaking of the circuit by the contacts 47, 48 also causes the magnet 22 to release the armature 24 and permit the lever-frame 23 to be raised to initial position by the spring 25; and the breaking of this circuit furthermore causes the magnet 36 to release the clutch-lever 37 whereby the latter is swung by its spring 63 to unclutch the shaft 33 from the armature-shaft 32. Thus while the motor-armature may continue for awhile to rotate after the current to the motor is cut off, the shaft 33 stops instantly that the circuit through the magnet 36 is broken. As before stated, the box 10 containing the sending-keysmay be located in a convenient position relative to a telephone switchboard; and the box 30 containing the motor 31 and signal-actuating mechanism may be located in any desired position remote from the sending-keys.

The construction described for preventing the sending of more than one signal along the line at a time is important as it obviates all danger of the inadvertent sending of interfering signals.

My invention may be employed for other purposes besides that of a calling system as described, though it has been especially devised for that particular purpose.

The foregoing descriptlon is intended to convey a clear understanding of my improvements in what I now believe to be the best form of their embodiment and no undue limitation should be understood therefrom.

It is my intention to claim all that is novel my invention, and that the claims shall be construed as broadly as the prior state of the art may warrant.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is J 1. In an electric signaling-system, the combination with a signal and signal-operating electric circuit, of a plurality of circuit making-and-breaking contacts, a distinc'tive movable actuator for each of said contacts, a motor for moving said actuator, a separate sending-key for each of said contacts operating when moved to sending position to close the circuit to the particular contact whereby the same is caused by its actuator to make and break the circuit to the signal, means operated by-the closing of the said circuit by the sending-key to establish a second circuit through said contacts to the signal, and a circuit breaker movable with said actuator to break said second cir cuit at the end of a. complete movement of said actuator, for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric signaling-system, the combination with a signal and signal-open ating electric circuit, of a plurality of circuit making-:1lid-breaking contacts, a distinctivo movable actuator for each of said cont-acts. a motor for moving said actuator, a separate sending-key for each of said contacts operating when moved to close the circuit to the particular contact whereby the same is caused by its actuator to make and break the circuit to the signal, and means operating when a signal is started to prevent any interference therewith before its completion.

In an electric signaling-system, the combination with a signal and signal-operating electric circuit, of a plurality of circuit making-and-breaking contacts, a distinctive movable actuator for each of said contacts, a motor for moving said actuator. a separate sending-key for each of said contacts operating when moved to close the circuit to the particular contact whereby the same is caused by its actuator to make and break the circuit to the signal, and means operated by the closing of said circuit by one sending-key to prevent the sending of interfering signals by any of the other sending-keys, for the purpose set forth.

' 4. In an electric signaling-system, the combination with a signal and signal-operating electric circuit, of a plurality of signal-actuating, circuit making-and-breaking, contacts, a distinctive movable actuator for each of said contacts, moving means for said actuator, and a sending-device having a separate sending-mechanism for each of said contacts, each of said mechanisms comprisinga movable key and a pair of sending contacts closed by movement of the key to sending position, and locking means in said device operating to hold said sending-contact-s closed and'to prevent closing of any of the other sending-contacts between the' beginning and ending of a complete signaling operation.

, CHARLES E. LEE. In presence of A. C. F ISCHER, J. G. ANDERSON. 

